“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love, they depart to teach us about loss. A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs your heart is very big” — Erica Jong

The last family dog my children grew up with was a brown Labrador retriever named Eisley. He brought our family laughter, mischief, and fun. We loved him so much. When he was a pup, he wanted to chew up everything. We had to replace our hot tub cover three times, the seat to our ATV and many pairs of shoes. He ran away a few times and we went on “dog hunts” to find him.

One day, as I was at the sink washing dishes, I looked out the window in time to see my nine-year-old son being dragged by Eisley. This dog got big. Eisley’s pedigree showed a picture of his grandfather, who was a national champion. Eisley was fit and still weighed in at 95 pounds. He had a chunk of Trevor’s coat in his mouth which finally ripped, and he lost his grip. I was trying not to laugh. I ran outside to check out the damage but when I saw that Trevor was laughing, I knew he was okay. 

We lived on an acre of land, so our children had a lot of room to play with Eisley. When the kids were throwing the football, they all laughed when Eisley tried to get an interception.  

Our dog learned all the usual tricks and commands like; sit, down, beg, bow, turn, and crawl. But the funniest things he learned was to knock on the door with his nose, if he wanted to come in. He learned to speak softly or howl. He also knew how to shut the door and turn off the lights. One night we had a bon fire and wienie roast. I guess the fire seemed too big to our neighbor, and the fire department showed up at our house. Being the protector of our family, Eisley ran full speed towards the firemen. They sprayed him with mace, and he went down howling and scrapping his head in the grass. It was sad then, but we laugh when we think of that incident. 

Eisley lived until he was fourteen and was a big part of our lives. When my youngest daughter left for college, Eisley was my only companion. He got sick a few months later and the Veterinarian determined that he had cancer. I was told that I should consider putting him down. Being raised on a small farm, I knew it was critical to not let the animals suffer. As painful as it was, I knew I had to let him go. I called all my grown children and told them to come see Eisley for the last time. Each of them got a “last picture” with him. I cried and cried on his body, until he took his last breath. Eisley’s death was painful and now I was totally alone. Our family will never forget the fun times we had with this beautiful Labrador Retriever named Eisley Bear.

Affirmation

“I have loved an animal and my soul is awakened”